We are looking to replace our plow/tow vehicle. We are replacing an E350 4 wd van (Yup we plow w/van!). Looking at the surburban but can’t decide if the suspention on the 1500 is OK to plow with. Hubby wants the 2500 but I think it may be overkill. We only plow our driveway. Any thoughts?? There are very few 2500 on the market. Any other SUV that can tow 8,000 lb and plow??
I’d go with the 2500, given what you describe. Are you going new? One big reason would be the better transmission with the 2500 (I’m assuming, I don’t know for sure). Trans. have been a weak spot with the 1500s.
I would go for the 2500. It’s more robustly constructed and heavier, which are desirable when plowing. Out of curiosity, is your E350 a Quigley?
No a Quadratrack. Love it but just for the yard now that the rust is bad.
we are looking for used. Only plow w/it and use it to tow offroad jeeps a few times a year.
No one can honestly answer your question until you give details on your plow set up. There’s a huge difference between a homeowner plow, a stock minute-mount 8’ Fisher and a Boss VPlow for example. What is your driveway like? Anything unusual that would contribute to the decision? For example, steepness, tight turning radius required, stacking needs, amount of annual snowfall or per event typical etc.
Unless you have a 300’ driveway…WHY do you need a plow?? How about a snow-blower. Takes me less then an hour to blow my 130’ driveway…and the blower does a FAR FAR FAR superior then ANY plow could come close to.
Agree with Mike; a $1200 snow blower will make mincemeat out of any plugged driveway in any weather. We have a 13 horsepower unit and use it to plow 3 driveways (shared with neighbors).
You should tailor your tow vehicle to the exact needs for towing. GM used to have a “heavy half ton” model specifically for towing, with heavy duty transmission suspension, rear axle, and factory-installed hitch and wirng harness. Such a model would ride better than a 2500 series.
The chief disadvantage of the 2500 would probably be the fuel cost because it is a bigger truck. Your response makes indicates that you are only going to put a few miles on the truck on the highway. That makes fuel cost a very small issue so why not go with the more robust frame on the 2500, not to mention transmission, differential, transmission cooling capacity,…?
We live fairly close to each other. What do you do when you get 6" of slush? The first year I moved here, I had my old plow and truck. We got a wet/slush storm and I plowed it just fine. The next year, I sold the truck/plow and relied only on my snowblower. Guess what? Another nasty slush storm and my 12hp snowthrower couldn’t do anything with that mess. It looked like a slushy maker coming out of the chute and couldn’t even clear the machine. The result? I had a 6" thick, rutted up glacier in my driveway for two weeks after it froze that night. It took load after load of salt to break that thing up. Every year since, we get one of these nasty surprises and I sure am glad I have the option of a plow.
Plows are nice for other reasons too. I can sit in my nice toasty truck and not get worn out/wet. I can plow going to work and coming home- it takes 15 minutes and I can do it in my dress clothes. Wind does not affect the plowing of snow but it sure makes it tough to snowblow when the prevailing winds are in the opposite direction I want to put the snow. I could go on…
I’ll also suggest the 2500, 4x4. A used one should be had for really cheap.
Exactly. That’s why it’s called a SNOW thrower.
I agree with Mike, using a 2500 GMC would be overkill on the average drive way.
I was rebutting the assertion that a snowblower does a better job than a plow and so why would anyone need a plow. If you can provide any good answers against the reasons I cited, then I’d love to hear them.
You want the 2500 for towing. The 2500?s had two rear end options: a 10.5? full floater and 9.5? semi floater. You want the 10.5, but the 9.5 is still pretty beefy.
The 8.5? rear in the ? ton won?t hold up well if for towing?especially when coupled with an already heavy vehicle.
What do snow blower’s have to due with anything? Might as well use a plow if the truck is already required for tow duty.